Huawei G510 Review & Specs – Snapdragon S4 Play SoC!

Huawei (pronounced Wa-way), a Chinese tech giant has been manufacturing Android phones for different price ranges. After the introduction of ‘high-end’ smartphones like the Huawei Ascend D Quad & Quad XL equipped with a home-made powerful SoC HiSilicon K3V2, Huawei has now stepped into the budget market and introduced Huawei G510 that comes with Android Jelly Bean, version 4.1.1.

Along with G510, the company has also launched Huawei Y300. Both phones are built on Qualcomm MSM8225 chipset, referred to as Snapdragon S4 Play. Note that this is not the same Snapdragon S4 that comes with Galaxy SIII. The CPU is 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A5, Adreno 203 GPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The one we’re reviewing is single-SIM G510. The other is dual-SIM Huawei G510 which comes with MediaTek MT6577 chipset. G510′s price is around $150 USD or Rs. 16,750 PKR (Thanks to Danish Fazal for price update). The pre-order price was Rs. 14,700 PKR.

Let’s have a quick look at G510 / Y300 specifications, then we’ll show some benchmarks like AnTuTu, Quadrant and finally a comparison with MT6577 based phones / Noir / Micromax series to help you make your choice.

Huawei G510 Specifications

Supported Bands:

3G (WCDMA) & GSM Quad Band

Screen:

4.5 inches IPS, 16M colors, 5-point multi-touch

Resolution:

480×854 pixels (FWVGA) – 218 ppi pixel density

Android OS Version:

4.1.1 – Jelly Bean

CPU:

Dual core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex A5 (Cortex A9 in dual-SIM)

GPU:

Adreno 203 (SGX 531 in dual SIM version)

RAM:

512MB

Internal Memory/ROM:

4GB total. 1.2GB for apps

SD Card slot:

Yes, upto 32GB expandable.

Chipset:

Qualcomm MSM8225, Snapdragon S4 Play

Camera:

5 MP with autofocus and LED Flash.

Front Camera:

0.3MP for video calling

Video Calling:

Yes. Skype and others.

GPS:

Yes with A-GPS

Bluetooth:

Yes

SIM slots:

1

WLAN:

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot

35mm Jack:

Yes

Google Play:

Yes

User Interface & Experience

It comes natively with Jelly Bean 4.1.1 so the interface is smooth and buttery, thanks to Project Butter. Huawei has added its proprietary UI, called Emotion UI so you won’t find the stock Jelly Bean look in it. Emotion UI is quite different than the stock interface and you’ll be delighted to see a change, whether you’re moving from the stock look, TouchWiz of Samsung or Sense UI. Even with Emotion UI loaded, the interface and swiping of screens is smooth enough.

There’s an LED for notifications as well, which helps in some cases.

Huawei Ascend G510 Benchmarks & Performance

The single-SIM version of G510 comes with MSM8225 S4 Play chipset. It has an integrated 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex A5 processor (ARMv7 instruction set) and Adreno 203 GPU with 512MB RAM as mentioned previously. So how does this really perform in a phone, having a 4.5 inch screen and FWVGA resolution of 480×854 pixels?

Here are the results of AnTuTu benchmark:

Huawei G510 AnTuTu Benchmark

And now the Quadrant benchmark:

G510 Quadrant Benchmark

Note that the real world performance is not entirely dependent on these benchmarks and it may differ as well! Adreno 203 also seems to outperform PowerVR SGX531 GPU in certain GLBenchmarks which are vital for video playback and games. That means this phone may have slightly better performance in games than the dual-SIM, MT6577-based G510. However, SGX531 in certain GLBenchs slightly outperform Adreno 203 such as texture fill rates.

For a final verdict you’ll have to wait a little for side by side comparison of S4 Play vs MT6577.

Camera Performance

G510 has a front 5 MP camera with LED flash and front 0.3MP camera for video chats. However, S4 Play only records videos in VGA format, so you can’t make 720p videos. That’s a disadvantage if you want to use your phone as a 720p-videos maker.

For stills, it performs just like your average 5MP phone cameras. Nothing extraordinary.

G510 – Price vs. Performance & Verdict

You get this phone merely for 16,750 Rs. in Pakistan or $150 USD internationally. At this price range, it is a fantastic phone which comes pre-installed with Jelly Bean, offering a very smooth and buttery experience. It also shines in the gaming area and is equal to, or out-performs other comparable phones in this range, such as those equipped with MT6577 chipset.

The only disadvantage is camera’s video performance. However, if this is not a MUST MUST for you, then it’s no big deal. It gets compensated for the support and repute the brand Huawei offers. Their Emotion UI is a smooth and new experience as well, and general phone performance is quite good.

You might be having thoughts like Huawei G510 vs. Samsung Galaxy SII, Galaxy SIII etc. The fact is, it’s not a wise comparison. Those phones are much more capable than this budget phone, however at this price point, G510 is probably the best dual-core Android phone offering native Jelly Bean smoothness!

Huawei G510 vs. Micromax or QMobile Noir Series

If you’re in Asia, the fair comparison is: G510 vs. Micromax A110 or G510 vs. Noir A10, Noir A12, Noir A8. Here, it is a chipset war, between S4 Play and MT6577. This phone has relatively stable software performance and smoothness than these other MTK phones, so if you’re in this budget and wanting a nice, stable phone with good gaming performance, get G510.

If you can’t ignore the 720p videos, which shouldn’t be much of an issue, then you may look at these MT6577-based options.

Excellent review Ehtisham ….. I was looking for exactly the same review regarding chipsets and all of this phone … nice man , u solved many of my queries ….. one last question is , do you now of a shop in Karachi where I can get this phone with warranty?

@ Usman: I have got this phone. You have to call airlink communication. They’re dealing Huawei Smart phones in Pakistan. Moreover The price of this phone is RS:16750/- and its confirmed. i got this phone from pre ordering (Before launch) in RS:14700/-. This really is an awesome phone I am really enjoying it a lot!

Usman Ahsen:
Excellent review Ehtisham …..I was looking for exactly the same review reigarding chipsets and all of this phone … nice man , u solved many of my queries ….. one last question is , do you now of a shop in Karachi where I can get this phone with warranty?

Contact Airlink Communication they are the Official distributor of huawei in Pakistan…

I can’t say about build quality, but A9 has little edge over G510 in terms of better display resolution and a better cam. For Huawei, it is the stable Jelly Bean ROM and a custom UI which is advantage. You have to decide.

i had ordered this mob but did not get any confirmation call or email. yesterday i called the airlink office and they told me that i can collect my order from their office in lahore, as live at 50 KM distance from lahore in SKP, today i went there and they told me that they have no record of my order. so i cannot buy this phone. this is utter BS. very very very bad business practice.

as u have used both A9 and this phone, now i am thinking of buying A9. what do u say, whats ur expert opinion. my major issues are wifi signals and ear piece voulme. i have heard that A9 has wifi low signal issue. and what about g510 antutu benchmark score, A9 give better results on antutu

Sad to read what you’ve gone through!
As for A9 vs G510, A9 has advantages in areas like better camera and better screen resolution. G510 has a better and stable Jelly Bean OS with Emotion UI. I suppose what you’ve heard about low wifi signal is incorrect.

Great review, any chances of root? Been trying alot of different stuff, but cant just go through. Checked some other communities, but they have different builds and slightly different hardware, So I dont want to risk flashing that stuff.